Becoming a home stager not only enables you to fulfill your passion and talent for interior decorating and organizing, but it also provides the exciting opportunity to put your skills to work for you as a lucrative business. However, passion and creativity alone are not enough to ensure your business is a success.
You also need clear direction to build a thriving business, which the following tips can help provide.
Understand What Your Profession Requires
To be successful at anything requires knowing the full picture. This means, let go of any preconceived notions or visions of grandeur you may have about what it is to be a home stager and actually conduct the research to learn what it really involves. Some ways to do this include:
1. Research the Home Staging Market in Your Area
Before you begin, research the home staging market in your area to determine how established it is.
Naturally, the more familiar your area’s real estate market is with home staging as a tool, the more advantageous it will be for you to establish a successful career.
On the other hand, in less developed markets, home staging as an industry practice will need to be established, which will take time; therefore, keep this in mind.
You should also consult with local real estate professionals to help determine if there is a need for your service in the area. This also presents the perfect opportunity to introduce yourself, explain what it is you do, as well as how it can benefit their business to help establish demand for your service in the area if there isn’t already one.
2. Talk to Home Stagers in Your Area
Perhaps your area has a successful home staging market, then what better way to learn about it, then, to reach out to local home stagers?
However, scheduling a one-on-one meeting with a home stager may be difficult, since they most likely keep a busy schedule; therefore, you might consider obtaining membership in your local Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) chapter, which will enable you to reach out to home stagers directly and free of charge. Many home stagers welcome the opportunity to speak with you about their career and what it entails.
You might also scout social media networks for groups dedicated to the home staging profession, which will also enable you to ask questions and learn more about home staging to assist with planning.
3. Become a Home Staging Assistant
To see what home staging is like firsthand, consider becoming a home staging assistant. By doing so, it will enable you to work alongside a professional home stager and observe the day to day requirements of the job, which will allow you to determine if it is the right career for you.
For instance, many people enter the field assuming that home staging is simply rearranging furniture to make the house look more appealing and are often surprised or put off when they discover it also requires commissioning home service providers, such as landscapers and painters, as well as a knowledge of real estate and more, which working as an assistant home stager will allow you to experience.
Consider Your Expenses
To start a business requires certain costs; therefore, it is important to consider these costs, as well as if you can afford them, before jumping in, which will help save you a lot of time and frustration in the long run.
When calculating the costs, consider what your ongoing costs, such as your operating expenses, will be. You will also need to determine how much savings you will need to cover your bills while you build your business. Staging homes also requires staging equipment; therefore, you will need to determine the cost of purchasing your own equipment, or you can simply rent it from a rental company.
You will also need to set aside a budget for marketing yourself and getting your business in front of the public. There are also costs to legally establish your business.
Asking yourself these questions, as well as other questions regarding your costs, will help better prepare you to start your new career off on the right foot.
Develop a Business Plan
Once you have decided to embark on the journey to become a home stager, it is time to make it official, which a well-written business plan can help you do. (Note: We’ve written in-depth about home staging business plans before).
You will need to select a name for your business that basically sums up or describes your business in detail, so there is no question as to what it is you do.
You also need to determine the legal entity your business will operate under, such as an association, corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship, etc.
Take some time to map out your company’s objectives and policies, which should be covered in detail.
Overall, your business plan will serve as a blueprint for making decisions and help keep you moving in the right direction. It will also serve as proof to lenders and investors in the event you decide to take out a loan or bring in part owners.
A sound business plan will also enable you to visualize your business, as well as provide a solid way to organize your ideas, which can also be used to analyze your strengths as well as what you need to work on to avoid downfalls that can lead to bigger issues later.
Earn Your Home Staging Certification
While having a natural talent in your field is important, it is also just as equally important to obtain professional training. Earning your certification in home staging provides many benefits, such as helps establish you as an expert at your job, which will make clients feel more justified paying for your service.
In fact, similar to any skilled profession, such as a real estate agent, having the proper education and certification displays that you are serious about your craft, which helps set the stage for success.
Therefore, consider investing in a good certification program to become properly trained and to help increase your chance of success.
Having a great contract that protects you, as well as liability insurance, is also important. This way, you’ll be protected in the event that something happens. You should also secure legal counsel if you plan to hire independent contractors or employees.
Becoming a home stager provides an exciting opportunity to work with some of the best real estate agents in the market. It also enables you to help homeowners realize their dream of impressing potential buyers enough to get their home sold fast, and in many cases, also for more money, which in turn helps you stand out as effective.
For more ways to acquire your home staging certification and begin a rewarding career as a home stager, schedule a private consultation with one of our home staging professionals at your earliest convenience.
